RA-5C Information
The RA-5C was a photographic reconnaissance adaptation of the Vigilante. It
incorporated most of the changes that had been introduced with the A-5B,
including the hump-backed fuselage with the extra fuel, the larger wing area,
the blown flaps on the leading edge, and the four underwing hardpoints. Four
external drop tanks could be carried underneath the wings, although these were
seldom carried because there was ample fuel capacity within the fuselage itself.
It was decided that earlier A-5As would be remanufactured to RA-5C standards, so
the initial production of the RA-5C was restricted to only 43 planes. In
addition, all 18 of the A-5Bs that were ordered were delivered as RA-5Cs. During
the Vietnam War, the Navy requested additional RA-5Cs, and the production line
at North American-Columbus had to be reopened. 36 additional RA-5Cs were built.
Most RA-5Cs were painted with the standard Navy insignia white and gull gray
scheme.
The North American A-5 Vigilante was a powerful, highly
advanced carrier-based supersonic bomber designed for the United States Navy.
Its service in the nuclear strike role to replace the A-3 Skywarrior was very
short; however, as the RA-5C, it saw extensive service during the Vietnam War in
the tactical strike reconnaissance role. Prior to the unification of the Navy
designation sequence with the Air Force sequence in 1962, it was designated the
A3J Vigilante.
The RA5 was an attack
aircraft, not a fighter. It never was a fighter. It was originally designed to
be an aircraft based bomber capable of delivering a nuclear bomb to a target
site. Due to problems encounter with the expulsion of the bomb from the
fuselage, it was modified to become a reconnaissance aircraft, and that was it's
operations duty until the aircraft was retired from active duty. Mike
Stoops.
Dear Mike,
Thank you very much for your information, it was very interesting about how the
bomb was having ejection problems, I always wondered why I had only seen the
aircraft in the Reconnaissance version. I list these planes as fighters since
they are smaller than bombers and most civilians have no idea what an Attack
Aircraft really is. I worked on the A-7 Jet Fighter, woops, Attack Plane.
Jeff
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